The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, has secured interim injunction at the Accra High Court preventing the Electoral Commission (EC) from a clandestine workshop to set the tone for initiating compilation of the controversial new voters’ register.
Sam George had earlier file an ex-parte motion in the High Court and was granted the injunction today, Friday 24, 2020.
The court was presided over by Justice John Eugene Nyante Nyadu who, upon hearing the application moved by lawyer Justice Srem-Sai, ordered the EC and all its officials from going ahead with the meeting.
“It is hereby ordered that the respondent and all persons claiming through the respondent (EC) refrain from holding the workshop or conference scheduled to take place at the Escape Hotel Prampram from the 24th of April 2020,” the court ruled.
Last week, Whatsup News intercepted two official memos from the EC, where, despite the social distancing decree and ban on public gathering amidst the threats of the deadly Covid-19 coronavirus contagion, it was planning to hatch a plan that will force Ghanaians out to register afresh in a contentious new voters register.
In the April 17th memo seen by Whatsup News, the Director of Training of the EC reportedly wrote to all Regional Directors and Deputy Regional Directors for training for a voter registration exercise amidst Covid-19 threats.
“There will be national planning meeting and key trainers training workshop at the City Escape Hotel, Prampram, in the Greater Accra Region on the 24th to 29th April 2020, to prepare and plan for the forthcoming registration of voters exercise…,” the memo read.
“Due to the States directive on social gathering the meeting will be conducted in three batches of twenty-five participants per batch and each batch will have two meetings,” the EC wrote in what has quickly been tagged as insensitive and fishy.
The Second memo issued on April 16, 2020, requested security agencies to allow staff of INNOLINK Limited to go to work to “Complete some task”. Innolink is one of the companies contracted to put together the structure for a new voters register.
These memos, however, contradict the announcement by the Director of General Electoral Services at EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, who said the uncertainty of the Covid-19 may force the EC to use the current voters’ register.
“We are taking all the precautions we have to take, so if in two months it (coronavirus) fails (to subside) we may need to use the register but if you don’t go for validation it means your name could be deleted,” Dr. Quaicoe told Joy FM last Saturday.
“…and if we are talking of the validation, it means people will still have to come in and that would mean human contact will still be there.”
Critics have suspected foul play in the EC’s insistence on compiling a new register despite little evidence presented to show the current register is not credible for the December 2020 general elections.
The EC had earlier scheduled April 18 to commence compilation of a new register, but Covid-19 has forced the government to place restrictions on mass gatherings, which impacts the EC’s ability